Tourism in Galiyat Must Benefit Its People, Not Just Its Visitors

Every summer, as temperatures soar across the plains of Punjab and Sindh, a familiar migration begins. Thousands of vehicles make their way up the winding mountain roads leading to Nathia Gali, Ayubia, Dunga Gali, Changla Gali, Khaira Gali and Thandiani. Families from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad and other urban centres seek refuge from the intense heat and humidity, drawn by the cool climate, pine-covered hills, fresh mountain air and breathtaking natural beauty of the Galiyat region.

For decades, Galiyat has been one of Pakistan’s most beloved summer destinations. Its forests, hiking trails, wildlife and colonial-era charm attract visitors from every corner of the country. During peak tourist seasons, hotels operate at full occupancy, restaurants remain crowded from morning until late at night, and local markets experience record commercial activity. The roads become congested with vehicles, and the tourism economy appears vibrant and prosperous. On the surface, Galiyat seems to represent one of Pakistan’s greatest tourism success stories.

However, beneath this apparent success lies a question that receives far less attention than it deserves: if tourism is flourishing, why do so many local residents continue to struggle economically? Why are local communities largely absent from ownership within the tourism economy? And why does so much of the wealth generated by tourism fail to improve the living standards of the people who call these mountains home?

These questions expose an uncomfortable reality.

A significant portion of the income generated by tourism in Galiyat does not remain within the local economy. Instead, much of it leaves the region through a process that economists describe as “economic leakage.”

Many of the large hotels, guest houses, restaurants, commercial properties and tourism enterprises operating throughout Galiyat are owned by investors from major cities outside the region. While these investments have undoubtedly contributed to the development of tourism infrastructure and accommodation facilities, they have also created an economic structure in which ownership and profits remain concentrated elsewhere.

As a result, the people who have lived in these mountains for generations often receive only a small share of the benefits generated by the industry that depends entirely on their homeland.

For many local residents, tourism means seasonal employment rather than entrepreneurship or ownership. During the busy tourist season, local people frequently work as waiters, drivers, security guards, cooks, shop assistants, labourers and cleaners. These jobs provide temporary income but rarely create long-term financial security or opportunities for wealth creation.

Meanwhile, the larger profits generated by tourism frequently flow back to investors and businesses located in major urban centres.

This imbalance is not unique to Galiyat. Similar patterns have emerged in mountain destinations around the world where rapid tourism growth has occurred without adequate policies to ensure local participation and ownership.

Several factors contribute to this situation.

Perhaps the most significant challenge is limited access to financial capital. Establishing a hotel, restaurant, adventure tourism company or transport service requires substantial investment. Land prices in Galiyat have increased dramatically over the past two decades, while construction costs, licensing requirements and operational expenses continue to rise.

Many local families simply cannot afford the initial investment required to enter the tourism market as business owners.

Access to affordable credit remains extremely limited, particularly for rural households with limited collateral or formal financial histories. Commercial banks are often reluctant to lend to small entrepreneurs in remote mountain communities, and specialised tourism financing schemes remain largely absent.

Without access to capital, entrepreneurship becomes difficult regardless of how strong local motivation may be.

Rapidly rising land prices have further transformed the economic landscape of Galiyat.

As tourism expanded, land values increased substantially. Many local families, facing financial pressures related to healthcare, education or household expenses, chose to sell valuable land holdings to outside investors. While these decisions often provided short-term financial relief, they also resulted in a gradual transfer of economic assets away from local communities.

Over time, ownership of hotels, commercial properties and tourism infrastructure increasingly shifted from local families to external investors.

The consequences of these trends are becoming increasingly visible.

In many parts of Galiyat, local residents now watch tourism businesses operate on land that was once owned by their families and communities. The mountains continue to attract visitors and generate wealth, but local participation in ownership has steadily declined.

Another major obstacle is the lack of professional training and business development opportunities.

Modern tourism is a highly competitive and increasingly sophisticated industry. Success requires expertise in hospitality management, customer service, digital marketing, online booking systems, financial management, business planning and foreign language communication.

Today’s tourists rely heavily on social media recommendations, online reviews and digital reservation platforms when choosing accommodation and travel experiences.

Unfortunately, opportunities for acquiring these skills remain limited in many mountain communities.

Vocational training institutions specialising in tourism management are scarce, and local entrepreneurs often lack access to mentorship programmes, business advisory services and technical support.

Without investment in human capital, local communities struggle to compete with larger and more experienced external investors.

The seasonal nature of tourism creates additional challenges.

Visitor numbers rise sharply during summer holidays, Eid vacations and long weekends, but decline significantly during winter months and off-season periods. This seasonality creates financial uncertainty for small businesses with limited reserves and discourages investment by local entrepreneurs who cannot afford prolonged periods of low income.

Large investors are generally better positioned to absorb seasonal fluctuations and temporary downturns.

For local families with limited savings, however, the risks associated with tourism investment can appear overwhelming.

Yet despite these challenges, the future of tourism in Galiyat does not have to follow this pattern.

There is an alternative approach that has proven successful in many countries around the world: community-based tourism.

Community-based tourism places local people at the centre of tourism development rather than at its margins. It seeks to ensure that communities become owners, entrepreneurs, service providers and decision-makers rather than merely employees.

This approach does not discourage external investment. Instead, it seeks to create partnerships that maximise local participation and local economic retention.

One of the most promising opportunities lies in the development of family-operated homestays.

Many households in Galiyat possess spare rooms or unused accommodation that could be upgraded to host visitors seeking authentic cultural experiences and personalised hospitality. Around the world, travellers are increasingly moving away from standardised hotel experiences and searching instead for opportunities to experience local culture, traditions and lifestyles.

Visitors increasingly want to eat traditional food, interact with local families and experience destinations through the eyes of residents rather than through commercial tourism packages.

Galiyat possesses all the ingredients necessary to benefit from this growing global trend.

Homestays require relatively modest investment compared to hotels and can provide direct income to local households while preserving cultural heritage and traditions.

The local business community also has an important role to play in building a more inclusive tourism economy.

Hotels, restaurants and commercial enterprises can prioritise local recruitment and invest in workforce development programmes. They can purchase agricultural products from local farmers, source dairy products from local producers and display locally produced handicrafts, textiles and souvenirs.

These partnerships create economic linkages that ensure tourism spending circulates within the local economy rather than immediately leaving the region.

The greater the number of local suppliers involved in tourism, the greater the overall economic impact on local communities.

Young people represent perhaps the greatest opportunity for the future.

The modern tourism industry increasingly requires professional tour guides, photographers, videographers, social media managers, content creators, digital marketers, mountain guides and adventure tourism specialists.

The growth of digital platforms has created entirely new business opportunities that did not exist a decade ago.

A young entrepreneur with a camera, a drone and a strong social media presence can now market local experiences to thousands of potential visitors across the country.

With proper training and institutional support, local youth could become leaders in ecotourism, adventure tourism and digital destination marketing.

Women’s participation is equally important for achieving inclusive tourism growth.

Women in Galiyat possess valuable skills in embroidery, handicrafts, weaving, traditional cuisine, food preservation and local cultural practices. Tourism creates unique opportunities to transform these traditional skills into sustainable sources of income.

Community markets, handicraft centres, women-led cooperatives and online sales platforms could significantly increase female participation in the local economy.

International experience demonstrates that women’s involvement in tourism often leads to broader social benefits, including improved educational outcomes and household welfare.

No tourism strategy can succeed without environmental sustainability.

The forests, wildlife, rivers and mountain ecosystems of Galiyat constitute the region’s greatest economic assets. Without these natural resources, tourism itself would cease to exist.

Unfortunately, unmanaged tourism has contributed to increasing levels of environmental degradation.

Plastic waste has become a growing problem along roadsides, hiking trails and picnic sites. Traffic congestion continues to worsen during peak seasons, contributing to air pollution and visitor frustration. Unregulated construction threatens the natural beauty that attracts tourists in the first place.

The environmental carrying capacity of Galiyat cannot be ignored indefinitely. Protecting forests and ecosystems is not simply an environmental responsibility; it is an economic necessity.

A damaged environment ultimately means a damaged tourism industry.

Sustainable tourism policies must therefore include effective waste management systems, environmentally responsible construction regulations, public awareness campaigns and stronger environmental enforcement mechanisms.

The government also has a crucial role to play. Public policy should focus not only on increasing visitor numbers but also on increasing local ownership and participation. Tourism success should not be measured solely through occupancy rates or traffic volumes.

Instead, policymakers should ask how much tourism income remains within local communities and how many local businesses have been created.

Special tourism credit schemes could provide affordable financing for local entrepreneurs seeking to establish businesses. Vocational training centres could prepare young people for careers in hospitality and tourism management. Tax incentives could encourage investment in locally owned enterprises and community tourism initiatives.

Local governments can also facilitate public-private partnerships that support inclusive growth while protecting environmental resources.

The future of tourism in Galiyat should not be defined by the number of vehicles entering the region during holiday weekends.

The true measure of success should be the number of local businesses established, the number of young people employed, the number of women participating in economic activity and the proportion of tourism income retained within local communities.

The forests and mountains of Galiyat are far more than tourist attractions.

They are homes, livelihoods and cultural landscapes that have been protected and preserved by local communities for generations.

Tourism can become another example of economic inequality in which outsiders benefit while local people remain on the margins. Or it can become a powerful instrument for inclusive growth, rural development and community prosperity.

The choice remains ours. If local communities become owners, entrepreneurs and partners rather than spectators in the tourism economy, Galiyat can emerge not only as one of Pakistan’s leading tourist destinations but also as a national model for sustainable, inclusive and community-centred tourism development. Pakistan does not simply need more tourists. It needs tourism that creates opportunities for the people who live where tourism happens.

The future of tourism in Galiyat should not be judged by how many visitors arrive each year, but by how many local families prosper because they came.

Only then will tourism become a true engine of development rather than merely a seasonal spectacle of economic activity passing through the mountains.

The people of Galiyat have protected these forests, maintained these landscapes and preserved this heritage for generations.They deserve to be more than observers of prosperity. They deserve to be its beneficiaries.